Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.

Archive for March 23rd, 2008

March 23, 2008

It’s always difficult to understand what is going on from afar,
particularly during Easter week or Semana Santa, when even reporters seem
to leave Caracas and politicians dissapear.

But I had to comment on
two pieces of news which may be unconnected, but I believe are clearly
linked. There is a lot of interest here in Mexico on what happened at the
border between Colombia and Ecuador because some Mexican students were
killed at Reyes’ camp. Thus, coverage has continued and reports are that
there is lots more to come from the computers as Interpol examines them.
Meanwhile, Correa is reported to be nervous in Ecuador, even suggesting
that things with Colombia may heat up if an Ecuadorian citizen was killed
in the raid. (I guess it’s more permissible to kill foreign guerrila
members)

But then two pieces of news go by and they puzzle me:
Insulza comments on the information on the computers dismissing a priori
part of it, saying that not everything in the computers is necessarily
true. Why does the Secretary General of the OAS even bothers to to say this
at a time of slow news?

And then, in a surprise and almost phantom
visit, Lula’s main advisor on international matters Marco Aurelio Garcia
shows up in Caracas to talk to Chavez about common projects between the two
countries.

Yeah, sure, as if Marco Aurelio and Chavez will both take
time out for this at this time.

If you ask me, something in those
computers in making a lot of people nervous at this time and expect
something unusual to be revealed from them. Expect denials too. It will be
all the work of the Empire, the CIA, whatever.

But don’t expect a
condemnation of the Tibet killings. When the Government’s friends kill, it
always has a justification.